Non-traditional “pizzas” have become a standby in our home, ever since I realized pizza was just a very large bruschetta. Tomato-based sauces are so flavor-dominant, that deciding to do without it is a freeing proposition. We’ve been experimenting with different bean purees as a base, topped with deliciously prepared vegetables (and fruit!)

This recipe is a version of the New York Times Roasted Apple, Butternut Squash, and Caramelized Onion Pizza.

I’ve simplified, taking out ingredients I don’t often have on hand and subbing in sweet potato for butternut squash (I don’t like buying pre-packaged prepared vegetables, and whole butternut squash is annoying to prepare, let’s be honest.) The end result is a dinner that can be prepared almost entirely from staples, that is herbed, savory, sweet, rustic, and absolutely delicious.

(This can be made as a pizza or folded over like mine for a “galette.” I ended up making a kind of galette here, purely because I rolled out my dough to large and had all this extra dough on the sides. So, I folded it over: galette. What I didn’t realize though, is that a kid will eat anything if it looks like a pizza sandwich. Score.)

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion, and Roasted Apple Galette (or Pizza)

1 sweet potato, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes (I did skin on, to make it even easier)

1 onion, sliced into thin rings

1 apple, sliced into slivers

1 cup frozen spinach

1 can of white beans, drained

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 package fresh pizza dough (I get ours at Safeway, Whole Foods, or Lucca Delicatessan)

Preheat your oven to 400° F. Grease a roasting pan, including sides.

First, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil and salt, place in a roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes, until soft.

Place a sauté pan on medium heat, and sauté onions in olive oil until they’re dark brown and very soft.

In a Cuisanart or blender, blend the beans, olive oil, garlic (you can drop the cloves in whole), thyme, salt, and pepper until it’s a chunky puree.

On a floured surface, roll pizza dough out to a large rectangle, slightly larger than the roasting pan. Place the rolled out dough into the roasting pan.

Smooth the bean puree on top. Then, sprinkle with frozen spinach (no need to do anything with it). Layer on the caramelized onions, then sweet potatoes, then apples.

Turn oven up to 450° F.

Place your galette or pizza in the center of the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pizza dough is golden all over.

Enjoy!